Away Team

Finland’s SONATA ARCTICA have named their seventh studio album Stones Grow Her Name. Recorded in several studios all over Finland, mixed at Sonic Pump Studios by Mikko Karmila and mastered at Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck, the album will be released in Europe on May 18th and in North America on May 22nd.

SONATA ARCTICA vocalist Tony Kakko comments:
“Our newest adventure is only a final touch short of being ready. The recordings went extremely well and the mixing is in schedule. Have to say I am enjoying myself greatly. I’ve had a very hard and work- filled two year period writing the songs while touring extensively with our previous album The Days Of Grays, but it has all been worth it! Yet again, we are introducing new things to keep the music alive and interesting. New elements, styles and new moods, talented guest artists and ideas for the enjoyment of the loyal friends of our music. Can’t wait for you to get your hands and ears on Stones Grow Her Name! Hope to see you all again on tour! Be well!“

The track listing for the standard jewel case version will be:
01. Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)
02. Shitload Of Money
03. Losing My Insanity
04. Somewhere Close To You
05. I Have A Right
06. Alone In Heaven
07. The Day
08. Cinderblox
09. Don’t Be Mean
10. Wildfire II
11. Wildfire III

Legendary Swedish Viking/death metal masters UNLEASHED have revealed the track list and artwork of their upcoming album Odalheim.

Commented bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund on the artwork:
“The artwork is made by Sebastian Ramstedt, just like our previous three albums. It shows the new world Odalheim, at the break of dawn at the Birka shores, and just before the attack of White Christ. The concept of the album is taken from the book by the same name.”

With Odalheim UNLEASHED not only present the successor of As Yggdrasil Trembles in the year 2012, but also continue telling their post-doomsday story embedded with Norse mythology. After the mighty world tree Yggdrasil had trembled and rung in the end of the world, Fimbul winter followed with three years of darkness and coldness. During which time Mother Nature took back what was rightfully hers. This caused the end of life as we know it, Ragnarök. But the warriors who’ve survived will build a new world out of the old one’s ashes. It is here that the story of Odalheim begins.

With Odalheim, the Swedes release their eleventh studio album. Once more, the mighty line up consisting of Johnny Hedlund (bass & vocals), Fredrik (lead guitar), Tomas Olsson (rhythm guitar) and Anders Schultz (drums) has created a multifarious and hymnal album in typical UNLEASHED fashion.

Odalheim track list:
01. Fimbulwinter
02. Odalheim
03. White Christ
04. The Hour Of Defeat
05. Gathering The Battalions
06. Vinland
07. Rise Of The Maya Warriors
08. By Celtic And British Shores
09. The Soil Of Our Fathers
10. Germania
11. The Great Battle Of Odalheim




Odalheim was recorded at the Chrome Studio in Sweden and produced by UNLEASHED guitarist Fredrik Folkare. The record will be released on April 20 (Europe) and April 24, 2012 (North America) via Nuclear Blast.

HANK3
2012-03-13
Lincoln Theatre
Raleigh, NC
Photos by: Jay Beadnell

Corrosion Of Conformity
20120-03-03
Lincoln Theatre
Raleigh, NC
Photos by: Jay Beadnell

Friday, March 16, 2012 – Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD

photos by Marcy J Royce
review by Marcy J Royce

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Check out my video of Boss’s Daughter:

As some of you know, I am no stranger to the music of POP EVIL.  I’ve been a fan for a few years. Each and every time I get a chance, I try to catch them as they pass through my area. I was once again afforded that opportunity.

Friday night couldn’t come soon enough. The anticipation in my world was building all week. I put the music of POP EVIL on exclusive play in my iPod leading up to this show. No rotation the last few days before the show.  I was even quoting lyrics in my Facebook posts. Ha ha!

My husband and I arrived at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, MD just after 8pm. We caught the end of Landsdowne’s set, and all of Otherwise’s set. A good size crowd was building. And the 2 openers were okay. I say that because I was highly anticipating POP EVIL. No disrespect intended.

I was ready to have my face melted and my body rocked. In the dimly light preshow fever, I staked ground in the press & photo pit. Knowingly I chose my spot right in front of Tony Greve. That guy sure provides this happy chick with hot licks and awesome riffs. And catching them that up close is pure ecstasy. He’s one of my very favorite “Guitar Slingers”. The intro was cued and everything went black. And one by one they entered the stage. Lights blasted and the beginning chords of Somebody Like You rang out from wall to wall. Holy shit! The place immediately turned electric. They boys ran that stage like a herd of fierce buffalo running down the plain. They always remind me just how much they mean business when they are gonna rock their fans into a frothy frenzy. During that first song Leigh Kakaty belted out lyrics with gusto and fever. Matt DiRito is always jumping, and flinging that gorgeous long hair, smiling the entire time. Dave Grahs is magnificient to watch and take in. When you least expect it he just explodes all over you with his power. And Josh Marunde (aka Chachi)… my oh my… what a drummer. I’m always entranced with the drummer. Drums and bass always have my attention. Part of the foundation, part of the backbone, of any performance.

Capturing these emotions with my camera is one of the greatest highs for me. POP EVIL certainly is not one of those bands who stays in one spot for very long while they perform on a big stage such as Rams Head. And as a photographer, I love that! Motion and emotion make the shot. And these guys deliver it to me each time. Next up in the set was Save The World and then Daisy Chain. Why do those first three songs need to go so fast???? I’m just getting into the photography groove and BAM! Security is making all of us exit. Oh well.

I vacated the pit and headed for front of house to change lenses. As I walked on my way Shinedown was starting. I couldn’t help but get swept up in it all. As the set progressed with wailing solos, intricate melodic guitars, pound your chest drums & bass, and purposeful lyrics, the crowd just drew in closer to that energy. All these things, that when woven together properly, will make a band shine. Pepper in raw emotion, unbridled spirit, unending energy and you have all the makings of a truly talented band that will break the chains and move up the genre ladder.

The songs that followed were:  Unstoppable, 100 In A 55, Purple, Let It Go, Hero, Breathe, Broken & Betrayed, Stepping Stone, Boss’s Daughter, Monster You Made, and for the finale… Last Man Standing.

The one thing I did notice is during this performance is just how far POP EVIL really has come in the last 2 years. They have become polished, honing their craft to the best it has ever been. A tight performance with high energy. I did, however, notice that Leigh’s voice was not quite up to the usual standard. He was singing an octave or two lower than he usually does to some parts of some songs. Not everything was different, just a few things here and there. Enough to make me notice. The final thing I noticed was the sound engineer had some difficulties until mid set bringing out Leigh’s vocals. The guitars were overpowering him. Finally, that issue seemed to get worked out. But for most fans, whom by the way were singing along loudly to each song, they probably didn’t even notice. And that’s the beauty of it all. The crowd enjoying the band they love.  And that, my friends, always makes this photographer and fan, extremely happy every time!

For more information and all that is happening with POP EVIL including tour dates, and to find out where to purchase music and merchandise visit http://www.popevil.com/

Also check these sites:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/popevil

Myspace: www.myspace.com/popevil

And for really cool stuff: www.evil-nation.com

YouTube videos you should check out:

For War Of Angels  Last Man Standing: http://youtu.be/4YB6H5q_gyU

For Lipstick On The Mirror  100 in a 55: http://youtu.be/DcfmwfY2GOE

Special thanks to George Cappellini, Sr., at G & G Entertainment, and Chris Iteen, Tour Manager, for helping to make it happen.

Git er done…. Oh wait this is a different kind of Blue Collar Man.  The kind whose hard work and determination gained him multi-platinum status as a solo artist, yet still made the gamble of a lifetime 14 years ago by joining the legendary STYX.  A gamble that was sure to pay off, as the frontman in the longest running line-up ever for STYX, Lawrence Gowan is living the dream that even the most successful musicians still dream about.  Recently, I caught up with Lawrence during a tour stop in San Antonio, TX (just like the famous song), where we spoke about everything from Chuck Panozzo to Children of Bodom.  Oh, and don’t worry about having to actually read this time around, just click the play button below, sit back with a frosty one, and enjoy…

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For more info on STYX, including Tour Dates visit the band’s official website here.   Special thanks go out to Lawrence Gowan for so graciously giving me his time, and to Amanda Cagan at ABC PR for making it all happen.

Legendary Swedish Viking/death metal masters UNLEASHED have revealed the track list and artwork of their upcoming album Odalheim.

Commented bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund on the artwork:
“The artwork is made by Sebastian Ramstedt, just like our previous three albums. It shows the new world Odalheim, at the break of dawn at the Birka shores, and just before the attack of White Christ. The concept of the album is taken from the book by the same name.”

With Odalheim UNLEASHED not only present the successor of As Yggdrasil Trembles in the year 2012, but also continue telling their post-doomsday story embedded with Norse mythology. After the mighty world tree Yggdrasil had trembled and rung in the end of the world, Fimbul winter followed with three years of darkness and coldness. During which time Mother Nature took back what was rightfully hers. This caused the end of life as we know it, Ragnarök. But the warriors who’ve survived will build a new world out of the old one’s ashes. It is here that the story of Odalheim begins.

With Odalheim, the Swedes release their eleventh studio album. Once more, the mighty line up consisting of Johnny Hedlund (bass & vocals), Fredrik (lead guitar), Tomas Olsson (rhythm guitar) and Anders Schultz (drums) has created a multifarious and hymnal album in typical UNLEASHED fashion.

Odalheim track list:
01. Fimbulwinter
02. Odalheim
03. White Christ
04. The Hour Of Defeat
05. Gathering The Battalions
06. Vinland
07. Rise Of The Maya Warriors
08. By Celtic And British Shores
09. The Soil Of Our Fathers
10. Germania
11. The Great Battle Of Odalheim




Odalheim was recorded at the Chrome Studio in Sweden and produced by UNLEASHED guitarist Fredrik Folkare. The record will be released on April 20 (Europe) and April 24, 2012 (North America) via Nuclear Blast.









For more UNLEASHED click here.

Veteran Canadian alternative rock band Our Lady Peace shows no signs of stopping after two decades in the business. Tickets for their upcoming North American tour went on sale early last week, and almost all of the dates sold out almost immediately. Fans who get to see what the band is calling the Urban Grind tour can expect to see a style that revisits some of the band’s pre-Gravity albums while new fans can experience what it was that got Our Lady Peace to the forefront of rock music.

“Heavyweight“, the first single off their upcoming album, Curve, has already garnered a notable buzz. For Curve, which will be released on April 3rd, the band teamed up with talented producer, Jason Lader, who has also worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Mars Volta and Elvis Costello to create the fresh, new sound of Curve under the Coalition Music label.

“Jason and I had a very frank discussion about the original recording we had done as a band before he came in,” says Raine Maida, lead vocalist and lyricist. “He asked why we didn’t make a record that we’d like to listen to ourselves. That was our impetus for scrapping what we started, bringing in Jason and truly challenging ourselves to come up with something different. He’s the first producer to truly tap into our musicality as artists. He allowed us to operate without the filter predicated by walking the major label tightrope.”

“[Curve] could be the best record we’ve done in the past 10-15 years,” says bassist Duncan Coutts.

The Urban Grind Tour, set to kick off on March 29th in London, ON sees the band making stops across Canada and the US.

OLP Tour Dates:
March 29th-London, ON-Concert Theatre
March 31st-Peterborough, ON-The Venue
April 2nd-Montreal, ON-Corona
April 3rd-Toronto, ON-The Phoenix
April 5th-New York, NY-Bowery Ballroom
April 6th-Buffalo, NY-Club Infinity
April 7th-Detroit, MI-St. Andrew’s Hall
April 8th-Chicago, IL-Subterranean
April 10th-North Bay, ON-The Wall
April 12th-Thunder Bay, ON-Community Auditorium
April 13th-Winnipeg MB-Garrick
April 16th-Calgary, AB-Flame Central
April 17th-Edmonton, AB, Starlite
April 19th-Vancouver, BC-Commodore Ballroom
April 20th-Seattle, WA-The Crocodile Cafe









For more OUR LADY PEACE click here.

Canadian eclectic rock outfit MOTHER’S GREEN recently released their brand new full-length album, Swimming in the Sun. This album comes as a follow-up to the band’s first full-length, self-titled release, which hit stores in Canada in 2008. For Swimming in the Sun, founding member, vocalist and guitarist March Ciaccari tapped drummer Dean Glover, percussionist Greg Noguera, and bassist Mike Simpson. The album was recorded at BWC Studios (The End, Moneen) in Toronto. The album was then mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Converge, Mastodon) in New York.

Shortly after recording, bassist Nick Tipe entered the band to handle bass duties in the place of Mike Simpson. Swimming in the Sun was completed with no label support, and the band continued on to self-finance their new video for ‘Observation for the Day’, cut from the new album.

Track listing:
Swimming in the Sun
Observation for the Day
Catching Existence
A Night in Complete Awe
Conscious of the Free Side
Just Another
The Antidote
A Close Encounter
Checking Point
Tattoos Leave Scars (bonus remix)











For more MOTHER’S GREEN click here.

JEFF LOOMIS has released a video teaser for his forthcoming album, Plains Of Oblivion, due out April 10. The teaser has audio snippets from every song off of the new album including “The Ultimatum” which was the first track to be revealed in its entirety last week.

In support of the release, JEFF LOOMIS will be on tour with PROTEST THE HERO, PERIPHERY and THE SAFETY FIRE.

Pre-Order packages for Plains Of Oblivion are available exclusively through CMDistro and can be purchased here.

Tour Dates:
Sun/Mar-25 – CHICAGO IL – Bottom Lounge
Mon/Mar-26 – LAWRENCE KS – Granada
Tue/Mar-27 – DALLAS TX – Trees
Wed/Mar-28 – HOUSTON TX – Warehouse Live
Fri/Mar-30 – ALBUQUERQUE NM – Sunshine
Sat/Mar-31 – PHOENIX AZ – Club Red
Sun/Apr-01 -LOS ANGELES CA – Key Club
Mon/Apr-02 – SAN FRANCISCO CA – Slim’s
Tue/Apr-03 – PORTLAND OR – The Branx
Wed/Apr-04 – SEATTLE WA – Studio Seven
Fri/Apr-06 – SALT LAKE CITY UT – In The Venue
Sat/Apr-07 – DENVER CO – Summit
Mon/Apr-09 – ST LOUIS MO – Pops
Tue/Apr-10 – MILWAUKEE WI – The Rave II
Wed/Apr-11 – DETROIT MI – Magic Stick
Thu/Apr-12 – COLUMBUS OH – The Outland Ballroom
Fri/Apr-13 – CLEVELAND OH – Grog Shop
Sat/Apr-14 – BALTIMORE MD – Sonar
Mon/Apr-16 – ATLANTA GA – Masquerade
Tue/Apr-17 – ORLANDO FL – The Social
Wed/Apr-18 – RALEIGH NC – Lincoln Theater
Fri/Apr-20 – NEW YORK NY – Gramercy
Sun/Apr-22 – PHILADELPHIA PA – Trocadero














For more information on JEFF LOOMIS click here.

Black metal group NACHTMYSTIUM will be heading to Austin, TX next week for the annual South By South West music festival. In addition to playing the official Metal Sucks Showcase on March 15 , the band will be playing a handful of dates leading up to and surrounding the show.

NACHTMYSTIUM announced last week that they’ve entered Engine Studios in Chicago, IL to begin working on their third release for Century Media Records, Silencing Machine. The band will team up with Stanford Parker again to produce the album, who also worked on Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I (2008) and Addicts: Black Meddle, Part II (2010). More details on the forthcoming album will be released shortly.

NACHTMYSTIUM Tour Dates:
3/11 – St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
w/ The Atlas Moth and Bruce Lamont

3/12 – Little Rock, AZ @ Downtown Music
w/ Rwake, Zoroaster, The Atlas Moth and Bruce Lamont

3/14 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn (1308 East 4th Street)
*Thrasher/Converse Death Match Showcase – Day Show
w/ FEAR, Cro-mags, Saviours, Black Tusk and more

3/14 – Austin, TX @ Barbarella Patio (615 Red River)
*Metalsucks Official SXSW Showcase
w/ High on Fire, Darkest Hour, Intronaut, Holy Grail, Monstro
For more information, click here.

3/15 – Austin, TX @ The Asylum (705 Red River St)
*Reggies Rock Club Showcase – Day Show
w/ Turquoise Jeep, Empires, Trippple Nippples, White Mystery, Common Anomaly

3/16 – Austin, TX @ The Longbranch Inn (1133 East 11th Street)
*Century Media/CVLT NATION/Stumptown Coffee Roasters Showcase – Day Show
w/ Andrew WK, The Atlas Moth, Bruce Lamont, YAITW, Vestiges, Enabler

3/17 – Austin, TX @ Lovejoy’s
*Brooklyn Vegan Showcase – Day Show
w/ Alcest, The Atlas Moth, Pallbearer, Bruce Lamont, more TBA.

3/18 – Austin, TX @ Lovejoy’s

3/19 – Dentox, TX @ Queens Music Hall
w/ Alcest, The Atlas Moth, Mutilation Rites, Bruce Lamont

3/21 – Columbia, MO @ Cafe Berlin
w/ The Atlas Moth and Bruce Lamont

Connecticut/New York thrash metal band INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND has just added brand new U.S. dates to their upcoming performance schedule. The band will make appearances on April 7th at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NY, April 14th at WJRR’s Earthday Birthday at Tinker Field in Orlando, FL, and on April 19th at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ as part of Jose Mangin’s Hard Attack Thursdayz. This is your only chance to see I.N.C. in the states this spring, so get your tickets now!

UPCOMING SHOWS:
4/7 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar w/ Onslaught – Doors @ 8pm
4/14 Orlando, FL @ WJRR’s Earthday Birthday at Tinker Field w/ Godsmack, Trivium, and more
4/19 Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz w/ M-16 “Jose Mangin’s Hard Attack Thursdayz”

I.N.C. recently signed with Extreme Management Group (EMG), also known for representing Suffocation, Origin, and more! I.N.C. is currently in the studio recording new material and recently tapped ex-Chimaira drummer Kevin Talley to crush behind the kit on their upcoming release.









For more information on INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND click here.

From ronniemontrose.com:

Ronnie Montrose ~ 1947-2012
‘A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose‘s 64th birthday. He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn’t take any of our love for granted.

He passed today. He’d battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we’re glad to have shared with him while we could.‘

Ronnie Montrose launched his brilliant career with Irish rocker Van Morrison. Montrose played on the albums Tupelo Honey and Saint Dominic’s Preview. And Ronnie’s guitar riff on Morrison’s huge hit “Wild Night” will forever be cemented as one of the most memorable in classic rock history.

Montrose left Van Morrison to join The Edgar Winter Group and enjoyed commercial success with the release of They Only Come Out at Night. The album climbed up to Number 3 on the Billboard charts and spawned the enormous Top 40 hits “Frankenstein” (# 1 hit) and “Free Ride.” (# 14 hit)

In 1973 Ronnie felt the desire to orchestrate his own band and so he formed the hard rock group that bears his own signature MONTROSE. The combination of Ronnie Montrose on Les Paul and Sammy Hagar on vocals created a hard driving rock and roll machine that churned out monster releases Montrose and Paper Money and Hard Rock Classics like “Hard Candy,” “Bad Motor Scooter,” “Space Station No 5,” “I Got the Fire” and “Rock the Nation.”

After Sammy Hagar left the band, Montrose released several albums before forming Gamma in 1979 with Robin Trower’s current lead vocalist Davey Pattison. The group released four cutting-edge rock albums.

After Gamma, Ronnie Montrose released a string of great albums and a return to the road as Montrose including a triumphant reunion appearance with ex frontman Sammy Hagar in 2005.

Iconic German thrash trio DESTRUCTION will embark on a North American 30th Year Anniversary Tour this May with shared direct support from Vital Remains and Warbringer (who will be alternating each night) plus Pathology.

States DESTRUCTION frontman & bassist Schmier:
“A killer package for old-school thrash & death metal freaks! This may be the best set list we’ve ever had – the essence of thrash metal history united with our new anthems. We’ll have more classics than ever in the set, more from the first records for sure. Can’t wait to hit the road again!!! Some North American cities have a great audience for this old school sound again, and it wasn’t always like that. The main intention for this second North American tour within a year is that we could not play all markets that we wanted to book last time. Now, we’ll play some new places and return to those cities that gave us a great welcome last year like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Montreal. Warbringer are a perfect match to a DESTRUCTION bill. They are one of the best new thrash bands and keep our ‘80s spirit alive. It will be great to have them with us! We’ve played with Vital Remains before; awesome guys and a brutal band. They bring a good variety into the billing. Thrash/death metal is always the best mix, that’s why Pathology complete the show!”

Confirmed dates & cities thus far for DESTRUCTION’s 30th Year Anniversary Tour are:
05-04-12 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
05-08-12 Casselman’s – Denver, CO
05-10-12 Reggie’s – Chicago, IL
05-12-12 Blackened Moon Concert Hall – Lansing, MI
05-16-12 B.B. Kings – New York, NY
05-17-12 The Met – Pawtucket, RI
05-18-12 Maverick’s – Ottawa, ON – CANADA
05-19-12 Rockpile – Toronto, ON – CANADA
05-22-12 Kim’s Pixie Inn – Pueblo, CO
05-24-12 The Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, CA
05-26-12 The Metro – Oakland, CA
05-30-12 Studio Seven – Seattle, WA

More dates will be announced soon.

CHICKENFOOT will perform their latest single “Different Devil” on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” tomorrow, March 1st, 2012. “The Tonight Show” airs on NBC TV at 11:35 p.m. EST. Check local listings for details.

The band recently announced A DIFFERENT DEVIL TOUR in continued support of their newest record “Chickenfoot III” (eOne Music/earMUSIC/Edel). “The Foot are road tested and ready to roll and can’t wait to play the new songs for the fans!” says front man Sammy Hagar. The tour will kick off May 4th in Lake Tahoe, NV and BLACK STONE CHERRY has been tapped to support. Tickets will go on sale this Friday March 2nd at 12PM PST, visit the official Chickenfoot website for more info!

5/4/12 Lake Tahoe, NV Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
5/5/12 Lake Tahoe, NV Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
5/9/12 Denver, CO The Fillmore Aud.
5/11/12 Minneapolis, MN The Brick
5/12/12 Chicago, IL Chicago Theater
5/14/12 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
5/16/12 Boston, MA Orpheum Theater
5/18/12 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues
5/19/12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
5/21/12 New York, NY Beacon Theater
5/23/12 St. Louis, MO Fox Theater
5/25/12 Thackerville, OK Winstar Casino
5/27/12 Pryor, OK Catch the Fever Festival Grounds (Rocklahoma)
5/29/12 Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
5/31/12 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphetheater
6/1/12 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
6/3/12 Portland, OR Schnitzer Hall
6/5/12 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theater
6/6/12 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
6/10/12 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater









For more CHICKENFOOT click here.